The present disclosure relates generally to control systems, and more particularly, to an adaptive aerodynamic control system for projectile maneuvering.
Aerospace vehicles, such as drones or projectiles, typically include one or more control surfaces that are coupled to, and extend outwardly from, the body of the vehicle. In operation, the control surfaces enhance or enable proper control of the vehicle. More specifically, the control surfaces are utilized to maintain the vehicle in a stable configuration along a predetermined flight path.
For example, an aerospace vehicle may be embodied as a projectile. Moreover, the control surfaces may be embodied as a plurality of fins that are fixedly coupled to an external surface of the projectile. Thus, in operation, the fins maintain the projectile in a relatively stable configuration along a predetermined flight path.
However, in operation the fixed fins do not enable the projectile to be maneuvered during flight. More specifically, because the fins are fixedly coupled to the projectile, the fins cannot be utilized to control or maneuver the projectile to either enable the projectile to deviate from the predetermined flight path or to reacquire the flight path when the projectile deviates from the predetermined flight path. Moreover, the fixed fins may increase drag on the projectile which may reduce the energy of the projectile. The reduced energy may cause the projectile to have a reduced operational range or a reduced effect. Therefore, projectiles having fixed fins may be limited in range causing a further reduction in the projectiles performance. As a result, the fixed fins do not enable the projectile to be maneuvered along the predetermined flight path. Additionally, the fixed fins may change the aerodynamics of the projectile, which may cause a decrease in the projectiles range and/or performance.